Meet The Team

The Founders

Sareena Shah, a resident of Chicago, is a senior at Walter Payton College Preparatory. Starting fall of 2023, she will attend Stanford University as a Public Policy major. In 2020, during remote learning and amidst severe classroom disruptions, Sareena co-founded The Re-Write It Project to provide Chicago students access to essential learning resources. Her vision was to engender a tangible, sustainable way for student volunteers to influence public education resource allocation. As Co-Founder and Finance Chair, Sareena has spearheaded The Re-Write It Project’s 501(c)(3) accreditation, organizational development, fundraising efforts, and community expansion. Throughout high school, Sareena also represented student voices within her school, district, and state, serving on Walter Payton’s Local School Council and as Chicago Public Schools’ representative on the Illinois State Board of Education Student Advisory Council.

Sareena Shah

Sareena Shah, a resident of Chicago, is a senior at Walter Payton College Preparatory. Starting fall of 2023, she will attend Stanford University as a Public Policy major. In 2020, during remote learning and amidst severe classroom disruptions, Sareena co-founded The Re-Write It Project to provide Chicago students access to essential learning resources. Her vision was to engender a tangible, sustainable way for student volunteers to influence public education resource allocation. As Co-Founder and Finance Chair, Sareena has spearheaded The Re-Write It Project’s 501(c)(3) accreditation, organizational development, fundraising efforts, and community expansion. Throughout high school, Sareena also represented student voices within her school, district, and state, serving on Walter Payton’s Local School Council and as Chicago Public Schools’ representative on the Illinois State Board of Education Student Advisory Council.

Maya Jha is an incoming freshman at Northwestern University who intends to major in biomedical engineering. When the onset of Covid exacerbated the prevalent educational inequities in Chicago, Maya was inspired to find a small way in which she could contribute to solving this issue. She realized the irony of the amount of school supplies sent to landfills annually and the many Chicagoland communities without access to quality educational materials. In efforts to bridge this disconnect, Maya co-founded The Re-Write It Project in August 2020. As head of the Operations & Development team, Maya has led efforts to grow The Re-Write It Projects partnerships, obtain media acclaim, launch the Chapter System, and expand the organization's overall reach. Maya also enjoys being a tennis coach, working at a clothing boutique on her weekends, and learning to golf in her free time.

Maya Jha

Maya Jha is an incoming freshman at Northwestern University who intends to major in biomedical engineering. When the onset of Covid exacerbated the prevalent educational inequities in Chicago, Maya was inspired to find a small way in which she could contribute to solving this issue. She realized the irony of the amount of school supplies sent to landfills annually and the many Chicagoland communities without access to quality educational materials. In efforts to bridge this disconnect, Maya co-founded The Re-Write It Project in August 2020. As head of the Operations & Development team, Maya has led efforts to grow The Re-Write It Projects partnerships, obtain media acclaim, launch the Chapter System, and expand the organization's overall reach. Maya also enjoys being a tennis coach, working at a clothing boutique on her weekends, and learning to golf in her free time.

Ana Parikh graduated from Walter Payton College Prep in 2023. Starting in the fall of 2023, Ana will be attending Georgetown University to continue her education by studying Management and Operations & Analytics. She helped found The Re-Write Project during a time of educational instability for many students around Chicago in August 2020. Under her leadership, she helped foster the growth of the Media Team and organized distributions as Distribution Coordinator. She worked to combat educational inequities from Chicago to the Philippines by organizing school supply distributions to serve students in the Philippines. In her free time, she tutors underserved students in the Chicago Public School system, leads volunteer projects around Chicago as a member of The Honeycomb Leadership Corps, competitive dances at Visceral Youth Ensemble, and works as a Retail Associate at Enaz in Bucktown.

Ana Parikh

Ana Parikh graduated from Walter Payton College Prep in 2023. Starting in the fall of 2023, Ana will be attending Georgetown University to continue her education by studying Management and Operations & Analytics. She helped found The Re-Write Project during a time of educational instability for many students around Chicago in August 2020. Under her leadership, she helped foster the growth of the Media Team and organized distributions as Distribution Coordinator. She worked to combat educational inequities from Chicago to the Philippines by organizing school supply distributions to serve students in the Philippines. In her free time, she tutors underserved students in the Chicago Public School system, leads volunteer projects around Chicago as a member of The Honeycomb Leadership Corps, competitive dances at Visceral Youth Ensemble, and works as a Retail Associate at Enaz in Bucktown.

Raina Koshal

Sareena Shah, a resident of Chicago, is a senior at Walter Payton College Preparatory. Starting fall of 2023, she will attend Stanford University as a Public Policy major. In 2020, during remote learning and amidst severe classroom disruptions, Sareena co-founded The Re-Write It Project to provide Chicago students access to essential learning resources. Her vision was to engender a tangible, sustainable way for student volunteers to influence public education resource allocation. As Co-Founder and Finance Chair, Sareena has spearheaded The Re-Write It Project’s 501(c)(3) accreditation, organizational development, fundraising efforts, and community expansion. Throughout high school, Sareena also represented student voices within her school, district, and state, serving on Walter Payton’s Local School Council and as Chicago Public Schools’ representative on the Illinois State Board of Education Student Advisory Council.

Sareena Shah

Sareena Shah, a resident of Chicago, is a senior at Walter Payton College Preparatory. Starting fall of 2023, she will attend Stanford University as a Public Policy major. In 2020, during remote learning and amidst severe classroom disruptions, Sareena co-founded The Re-Write It Project to provide Chicago students access to essential learning resources. Her vision was to engender a tangible, sustainable way for student volunteers to influence public education resource allocation. As Co-Founder and Finance Chair, Sareena has spearheaded The Re-Write It Project’s 501(c)(3) accreditation, organizational development, fundraising efforts, and community expansion. Throughout high school, Sareena also represented student voices within her school, district, and state, serving on Walter Payton’s Local School Council and as Chicago Public Schools’ representative on the Illinois State Board of Education Student Advisory Council.

Maya Jha is an incoming freshman at Northwestern University who intends to major in biomedical engineering. When the onset of Covid exacerbated the prevalent educational inequities in Chicago, Maya was inspired to find a small way in which she could contribute to solving this issue. She realized the irony of the amount of school supplies sent to landfills annually and the many Chicagoland communities without access to quality educational materials. In efforts to bridge this disconnect, Maya co-founded The Re-Write It Project in August 2020. As head of the Operations & Development team, Maya has led efforts to grow The Re-Write It Projects partnerships, obtain media acclaim, launch the Chapter System, and expand the organization's overall reach. Maya also enjoys being a tennis coach, working at a clothing boutique on her weekends, and learning to golf in her free time.

Maya Jha

Maya Jha is an incoming freshman at Northwestern University who intends to major in biomedical engineering. When the onset of Covid exacerbated the prevalent educational inequities in Chicago, Maya was inspired to find a small way in which she could contribute to solving this issue. She realized the irony of the amount of school supplies sent to landfills annually and the many Chicagoland communities without access to quality educational materials. In efforts to bridge this disconnect, Maya co-founded The Re-Write It Project in August 2020. As head of the Operations & Development team, Maya has led efforts to grow The Re-Write It Projects partnerships, obtain media acclaim, launch the Chapter System, and expand the organization's overall reach. Maya also enjoys being a tennis coach, working at a clothing boutique on her weekends, and learning to golf in her free time.

Ana Parikh graduated from Walter Payton College Prep in 2023. Starting in the fall of 2023, Ana will be attending Georgetown University to continue her education by studying Management and Operations & Analytics. She helped found The Re-Write Project during a time of educational instability for many students around Chicago in August 2020. Under her leadership, she helped foster the growth of the Media Team and organized distributions as Distribution Coordinator. She worked to combat educational inequities from Chicago to the Philippines by organizing school supply distributions to serve students in the Philippines. In her free time, she tutors underserved students in the Chicago Public School system, leads volunteer projects around Chicago as a member of The Honeycomb Leadership Corps, competitive dances at Visceral Youth Ensemble, and works as a Retail Associate at Enaz in Bucktown.

Ana Parikh

Ana Parikh graduated from Walter Payton College Prep in 2023. Starting in the fall of 2023, Ana will be attending Georgetown University to continue her education by studying Management and Operations & Analytics. She helped found The Re-Write Project during a time of educational instability for many students around Chicago in August 2020. Under her leadership, she helped foster the growth of the Media Team and organized distributions as Distribution Coordinator. She worked to combat educational inequities from Chicago to the Philippines by organizing school supply distributions to serve students in the Philippines. In her free time, she tutors underserved students in the Chicago Public School system, leads volunteer projects around Chicago as a member of The Honeycomb Leadership Corps, competitive dances at Visceral Youth Ensemble, and works as a Retail Associate at Enaz in Bucktown.

Raina Koshal

Our Board of Directors


Jo Sinha


Bobby Strauss


Saloni Nahar


Kristin McKay

Bobby Strauss
Tab 2
Tab 3
Tab
Tab

The Team

Hi I'm Selin, I'm 15. One thing about me is that I absolutely love to read, like a lot, and I also play volleyball. I'm passionate about helping to make a difference in people, especially children's, lives so being on this team will give me a chance to be a part of that. So I'm really excited about that!

Selin Adigozal (she/her)

Recruitment & Outreach

Hi, my name is Kai and I'm a sophomore at Walter Payton College Prep. I play basketball, piano and love to cook and bake. I am really passionate about giving back to the community and using my resources and knowledge to do so. Additionally, I am very interested in finance and business so I am excited to be on the Re-Write It Project Finance Team. To me, it is the perfect way for me to merge the things that I love and have an extremely positive impact on people in need.

Kai Fogelson
(he/him)

Finance

Hey, I’m Louise and I go to Walter Payton! I love spending time outside, listening to music, and playing softball in my free time. I am looking forward to helping out the Re-Write It Project because educational inequalities in Chicago need to be addressed and I appreciate the simple and direct way that the organization allows you to impact others.

Louise Goldman
(she/her)

Media

Hi my name is Ishika and I am really passionate about making my community a better place. I have always enjoyed learning more about the world and different cultures through traveling and connecting with other people. Through the Re-Write It Project I am able to help kids in need and allow them to have a better school life which is important to me.

Ishika Jain
(she/her)

Recruitment & Outreach

I was interested to join the Re-Write It Project because, despite these unusual times, every child deserves a fulfilling education and I wanted to help them get there. I joined the finance team because I believe finance is a big step in effectively helping kids across the city to learn better. I have always loved to learn, read, and experiment with my creativity through painting. So many kids across the city can't do these things because of things they can't control. Knowing this makes me want to help them share my passion for learning with them.

Suhani Mittal
(she/her)

Finance

Hi, I'm Saiya and I am a sophomore at Walter Payton College Prep! I love playing lacrosse and also watching movies and playing boardgames with my friends and family. I joined the Re-Write it Project because it is a great initiative to boost equity around the city. I am looking forward to working in the Finance Team and efficiently helping this organization grow while also getting to collaborate with other young leaders in Chicago!

Saiya Smith
(she/her)

Finance

I’m Hailan and I’ve always enjoyed crafting and I want other students to enjoy the same interest and find their creative aspect in learning. I want to help students get the materials needed to enhance their learning ability. In my free time, I like to play volleyball.

Hailan Yu
(she/her)

Finance

Hi I’m Claire and I am a rising senior at Walter Payton. Being apart of the Re Write It Project gives me the opportunity to create change and has influenced me to continue doing that through work in Public Policy. I am so excited to continue collaborating with my team to do amazing work as VP. In my free time I dance competitively and play tennis.

Claire Walker
(she/her)

Operations and Development

Hi, I'm Lindsey, and I go to Walter Payton. I care about making sure every kid has the resources to explore opportunities they're passionate about! The Re-Write It Project is an amazing way for me to use one of my interests, finance, to help others. When I'm not out on a walk or a bike ride, I love to paint.

Lindsey Prochot
(she/her)

Finance

Hello! I’m Sou Lynn and I’m a sophomore at Walter Payton. I love being outside, cooking, listening to music, and playing team sports. I’m really excited to be a part of the Re-Write It Club because I really support its goal and methods. It focuses on an efficient and impactful solution to help alleviate struggles in regards to education faced by underprivileged students in Chicago. I really look forward to being a part of this organization and help it flourish!

Sou Lynn Beneteau
(she/her)

Chapter Management

Hi! I'm Alexis and I'm a student at Walter Payton! I like to explore the city, read, bike, or visit Trader Joes in my free time. I'm looking forwards to being a part of the ReWrite It team and help bridge educational inequalities in Chicago!

Alexis Park
(she/her)

Chapter Management

My name is Iyanna and I am a Sophomore at Payton. I love playing volleyball, listening to music, and going outside. I joined the Re-Write it Project because I believe that having access to resources and education is so fundamental to success, especially in youths.

Iyanna Tuyay
(she/her)

{PLACE HOLDER}

Hi, I'm Eric and I go to Walter Payton! I like to learn (about) languages and learning about the world. I spend most of my time volunteering in Cantonese chat rooms and using technology to help make resources for learning Cantonese, my mother tongue! I'm happy to help out with the Re-Write It Project because I'd love to use technology to help those in need.

Eric Chen
(he/him)

Website Development

Hi, I'm Jane and I'm a student at Walter Payton. I like long walks on the beach and getting caught in the rain. In my spare time, I like to draw and play guitar but I'm really bad at it.

Jane Von Der Sitt
(she/her)

{PLACEHOLDER}